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SEE PAGE IB
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Lady Tigers
Get Ready For
Season Opener
That's No Sidewalk
Under Construction
On Interstate 85
Vol. 133
No. 26
22 Pages
3 Sections
Wednesday
AUGUST 13, 2008
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Council Finally
Puts Walgreens
Sign To Rest
By Mark Beardsley
Commerce finally put the
Walgreens’ sign variance request
behind it.
The city council voted Monday
night to deny the pharmacy’s
request for a variance in the size
of its sign, but agreed to allow it to
have a digital letterboard as part
of the sign.
The store is under construction
at the corner of North Elm Street
and Homer Road.
Councilman Bob Sosebee
made the motion to accept
the Commerce Planning
Commission’s recommendation
to require the company to stay
within the 24-square-foot guide
line of the ordinance.
“In that 24 feet, if they want to
put a message board, they can,’’
Sosebee proposed.
Donald Wilson seconded the
motion.
Doug McGee, developer of the
property, asked the council to
“give us the consideration you
have given other people in grant
ing a variance to the sign ordi
nance.’’
Over the past several months,
the store has floated through the
site developer several proposals
for a sign, all with the letterboard
and all significantly larger than
24 square feet. In each case, the
Please Turn to Page 5A
Commerce Schools Start New Year
1,516 Enrolled In City Schools
Enrollment
Up Slightly
Over Last Year
Enrollment in the Commerce
School System for the 2008-09
school year appears to be
about where it was last year,
Superintendent James E. “Mac’’
McCoy reports.
After three days, the school
system had attendance of 1,516.
“Those are butts in the seats,’’
said McCoy. “We know there are
others on paper.”
A year ago, school opened
with 1,498 and enrollment grew
to 1,526 after 10 days.
“I’d say we’re on target,” the
superintendent said. “We’ve still
got people coming in and regis
tering, a pretty steady stream.”
After adding a kindergarten
and a second grade class this
year, the city system has no non
residents on the “waiting list”
for enrollment. Last year at this
time, parents of 20 kindergarten
ers and 20 first graders were
waiting to see whether the pri
mary school would have room.
“There’s no one on the wait
ing list,” confirmed primary
Principal Kim Savage. “We were
able to take everyone. Right
now we’re good.”
Kelia Osorio was excited to get the 2008-09 school year
started last Thursday. The first grader was escorted by her
mother.
Enrollment as of Monday was
405 at the primary school, 218
at the elementary school, 450
at the middle school and 403 at
Commerce High School.
McCoy said the school year
got off to a smooth start.
“It was just like we never
ended. That’s the way you like
it,” he said.
City School Tax
Rate To Stay
At 17.75 Mills
Board Trying To Deal With Prospects
Of More State Bunding Cuts
By Brandon Reed
A week after approving the tax
rate for the year, the Commerce
Board of Education is now work
ing to get the budget for fiscal
year ‘09 in place.
The millage rate was set Aug. 5
at 17.75, the same as last year.
The first reading of the pro
posed budget was held Monday
night at the board’s regular
monthly meeting.
The proposed budget projects
an estimated general fund rev
enue of $2,880,976 from local
taxes, with a total estimated rev
enue of $12,247,598 once fed
eral and state sources, as well as
other local sources, are factored
in.
The proposed budget also
shows a total estimated expendi
ture of $13,008,859 in expenses,
leaving $761,261 to come out of
reserves.
The fund equity for the begin
ning of the year is projected at
$1,500,000. By the end of the
year, that is projected to fall to
$738,739.
Superintendent James E. “Mac”
McCoy said some changes had
been made to the proposed bud
get over the weekend.
“We’re in better shape,” McCoy
said. “We’re still going to tighten
the belts as the year goes. We
set everything based on revenue
that we generated this year. We
hope we’re conservative, or at
least balanced on that.”
The budget will be considered
for final adoption at the board’s
Sept. 8 meeting.
The board voted to approve
a resolution to send the millage
rate to the city.
In other business, McCoy
informed the board that July
SPLOST revenues came in at
$135,172, boosting the school
system’s SPLOST balance to
$1,763,791. That was reduced
to $1,520,286 following a bond
payment of $243,405.
Sealed bids for the construc-
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W
THURSDAY FRIDAY
Mostly sunny: Partly cloudy:
Low, 65; high, 89; Low, 67; high, 89;
10% chance rain 20% chance rain
SATURDAY SUNDAY
Mostly cloudy: Isolated T-storms:
Low, 67; high, 87; Low, 67; high, 88;
10% chance rain 30% chance rain
Reservoir Levels
Commerce: 697.3 (.3 feet below full)
Bear Creek: 691.8 (3.2 feet below full)
Rainfall this month
.5 inches
Rainfall This Year
25.05 Inches
INDEX
Births 3B
Church News 7A
Classified Ads 1-4C
Calendar 3A
Crime News 8A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 9A
Opinions 4A
School News 6-8B
Sports 1-2B
Social News 3B
CONTACT US
Phone: 706-335-2927
FAX: 70G3 87-5435
E-mail:
news@mainstreetnews.com
ma rk@ma i n streetnews. com
brandon@mainstreetnews.com
teresa@mainstreetnews.com
Mail: P.O. Box 459,
Commerce, GA, 30529
Group Plans 'Summit'
On Teen Pregnancy
Next Tuesday Night
Jackson's Rate Of Births To Teenagers
Highest In Health District
By Mark Beardsley
A group determined to lower
Jackson County’s rate of teen
age pregnancies will
hold a “teen pregnancy
summit” next Tuesday
night.
The Teen Pregnancy
Prevention Coalition
— an outgrowth of the
Jackson County Health
Department — hopes
to attract teenagers,
parents and public offi
cials to the Jefferson
Civic Center from 5:30
to 7:30.
“We hope to find out how the
community wants us to pro
ceed,” explained Beth Heath,
county nurse manager. “Do
they want more information in
the schools, do they want more
information for parents or do
they want us to back off?”
Heath presented the board of
health with a chart comparing
Jackson County’s rate of births
to teenage girls with 40 other
governments, including four sur
rounding counties and a number
of countries.
With 73 births per 1,000
teenage girls per year, Jackson
County ranks higher than all
but five of those compared,
which range from Switzerland
at four births per 1,000 teens to
Panama and El Salvador, which
average 88. The state average
is 52 and the national average
is 40. Jackson County has the
highest rate of births to teens
in the 10-county health
district as well.
The program will
include speakers, a
panel of parents and a
question-answer-opin
ion session designed
to provide input from
the audience. Child
care, door prizes and
refreshments will be
provided.
The coalition is using
billboards, has sent
special invitations out to elected
officials and is sending home
flyers with school children to try
to attract a crowd.
Heath observed that children
born to teenagers occupy the
equivalent of 64 classrooms
in schools throughout Jackson
County as a means of showing
the effects of teen birth on local
taxes.
Vice Chairman Keith
Zimmerman, a physician, asked
if the department interviews
pregnant teens who enter the
clinics to determine the contrib
uting factors — lack of access to
or knowledge about birth con
trol — for example.
He suggested that impulse is
likely a contributing factor.
Please Turn to Page 3A
Beth Heath
The Cupboard's Almost Bare
Banks-Jackson Emergency Food Bank man- economy is sending larger numbers of families
ager Christa Shumake stands in front of the to the food bank for short-term emergency
nearly empty shelves. The downturn in the help.
Booming Business Means Hard
Times For Local Food Bank
By Mark Beardsley
Business is booming at the
Banks-Jackson Emergency Food
Bank in Commerce. That is never
a good thing.
So many people have come to
the food bank that its shelves are
nearly bare.
“It’s the lowest I can remem
ber, and I’ve been here 14 years,”
remarked Christa Shumake, man
ager.
The slack economy has dealt a
double-whammy to the food bank.
More people are out of work —
and food — so they appeal to the
food bank, and donations of both
food and money are also down,
for the same reasons.
And, said Shumake, August
is always the food bank’s worst
month.
Located on Georgia Avenue
in a building provided by First
Commerce Bank, the food bank
supplies the short-term emergency
food needs of people referred by
a local church or by the Jackson
or Banks Departments of Family
and Children Services. Recipients
typically get a one-week supply
of food.
“We’re having so many families
come in,” said Shumake. “We’ve
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